The present invention relates to punch press equipment and more particularly to a modular punch press station and its method of operation.
Punch press devices are well known and include a ram usually vertically movable toward and away from an anvil. In some cases the piece of metal being operated on by the punch press will be struck by a punch pin and deformed by the pin or, in other cases the metal will be perforated by the pin which travels through the metal into a die held by the anvil.
Usually each station in a punch press is capable of performing a single operation, that is the punching of a particular sized hole or the deforming of the metal within the punch press in a single particular way. Many punch presses have means, such as rotatable turrets for providing different tools at a particular punch station. Those punch tools can range from relatively simple tools such as a cooperating punch pin and die or can be complex tools, particularly if a complex operation, such as the insertion and the joining by deformation of two or more pieces of metal is to occur.
In the past, such complex tools have comprised a multitude of parts which must be assembled and disassembled for each time a new series of parts is being manufactured with the punch press. It would be an advantageous advance in the art if such complex tooling were provided which did not require the assembly and disassembly of a multitude of parts when a particular manufacturing operation is to be performed.